City clears out homeless encampment beneath overpass in downtown Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Crews from Metro Public Works spent Monday morning removing the belongings and trash left behind by homeless people who have been sleeping under an interstate overpass in downtown Louisville.

Crews began removing trash and other debris from beneath the overpass at E. Jefferson Street and Preston Street around 9 a.m. on April 1, 21 days after a notice was posted that the area would be cleared.

Dozens of homeless people packed up as many belongings as possible and headed out, before the crews arrived. Anything left behind was tossed.

Nearly a dozen city vehicles could be seen removing the items. The entire process took about two hours.

This is what the clean up on E Jefferson St looked like this morning. Crews made quick work of the clear out and finished this stretch in under 2 hours. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/r9JsNk5zUa
— Lexie Ratterman (@LRatterman_WDRB) April 1, 2019

The clean-up was originally scheduled for March 29, but was rescheduled. A city spokesperson says people have voiced concerns about about safety, sanitary conditions and drug use at the encampment.

"It's really an unsanitary situation," said Eric Friedlander, Louisville's chief of resilience and community services.

"We see human waste, we see needles," Friedlander said. "Some things that are probably fairly dangerous if you come across it. We really have the responsibility to everybody in the community to make sure it's as clean as it can be so people can use the sidewalk."

Several homeless advocate agencies like St. John's Center and Exit 0 were on site to people help people pack up their belongings. Some were given rides to other locations, but the question now is where are they going to go?

"My tent's my home, my castle," said one person forced to move Monday morning. "But it's not my home if I can't put it up - where am I going to put it up? They keep promising they're going to designate something for us, but it's like fishing in the dark."

Many homeless advocates say the cleanup came at a convenient time for Louisville - with Derby festivities around the corner - but city officials claim the area was cleared out because it of the unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

There were two fires at homeless camps in Louisville recently. On Jan. 31, a person was injured after a tent fire at another homeless camp under an overpass near S. Brook and E. Kentucky Streets on Jan. 31, 2019.

Fire officials said they believe that fire was started by a Sterno can, then spread to a propane tank.

Several weeks later, on March 6, a fire at another homeless camp near the fairgrounds was visible from Interstate 65.

Officials say that fire started behind buildings in the homeless camp near Preston Highway and Hess Lane, and was caused by a propane tank. No injuries were reported.